Info for Ukrainians in Scotland

BRP cards are being replaced with eVisas. Find out more about these changes and what you need to do on our eVisa page. All physical BRP cards will expire on 31 December 2024 and will be replaced with eVisas, an online record of your leave to remain. You will need to create an UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account to access your eVisa. Please check GOV.UK website for up-to-date information on eVisas: Online immigration status (eVisa).

Keep hold of your expired BRP card. You will need your BRP for future applications to stay in the UK. For example, you will need it when you apply for Ukraine Permission Extension scheme. 

The UK Government made changes to its visa schemes for people fleeing the war in Ukraine. If this affects you or your plans to bring your family to the UK we advise to seek urgent legal advice.

You can contact us for initial advice via our free helpline or Ukraine inbox. 

You can also find a qualified legal representative through: 

• The Law Society of Scotland: Find a Solicitor
• Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) regulated immigration adviser: OISC adviser finder
• List of legal representatives in Glasgow and Edinburgh   

Ukraine Permission Extension scheme

The Ukraine Permission Extension scheme is for people with permission to be in the UK under any of the Ukraine schemes (Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme, Ukraine Family scheme and Ukraine Extension scheme). The applications will open on 9 am, 4 February 2025. Please check for further information here: Ukraine Permission Extension scheme information. If you hold any Ukraine schemes visa in the UK and would like to carry on living in the UK, you must apply for this extension within 28 days before your existing visa is due to expire. Please make sure you apply in time before your current visa expires. 

If your application is accepted you will be allowed to live in the UK for another 18 months. You will continue to have the right to work, study and access public fund. If you apply after your visa expires you will lose your current entitlements to work and benefits for example.

Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme 

The Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme is now the only visa application route specifically for people from Ukraine who are outside the UK. The length of this visa changed from 3 years to 18 months on 19 February 2024.  

To apply under this scheme, you will need an approved sponsor in the UK. The UK government made changes to who can act as a sponsor. Previously sponsors included anyone who has leave to remain in the UK for at least 6 months. Your named sponsor now has to be a British or Irish citizen or have indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Please check for further information here: Apply for a visa under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme.

If you submitted a Homes for Ukraine visa application before 3pm on 19 February 2024, these changes do not apply to you.  

The Scottish Government has previously been acting as a 'super sponsor' for people arriving via the Homes for Ukraine scheme. This meant people fleeing the war did not have to arrange an individual sponsor before coming to Scotland. However, the Scottish Government has since paused its Ukraine Super Sponsor scheme.

Ukraine Extension scheme 

The Ukraine Extension scheme is for Ukrainians who are already in the UK on a temporary visa. This scheme closed on 16th May 2024 for everyone apart from children born in the UK to a parent with any Ukraine schemes visa. This exception will allow children born in the UK to apply and get leave in line with their parents. Check for further information here: Apply to stay in the UK under the Ukraine Extension scheme. Please note the Ukraine Extension scheme will close on 9 am 4 February 2025. After this date, children born in the UK after 18 March 2022 to parents with Ukraine schemes visa (Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme, Ukraine Family scheme and Ukraine Extension scheme) will need to apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme instead. 

Ukraine Family scheme 

The Ukraine Family scheme for people with family ties to the UK closed at 3pm on 19 February 2024. You can no longer apply for a visa under this scheme. If you applied before the scheme was closed your application will be assessed under the previous immigration rules. Please check for further information here: Ukraine Family scheme visa.

Rules on long residence route to settlement 

On 26 November 2024, the UK government made some additional changes to clarify that time spent in the UK under the Ukraine schemes (Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme, Ukraine Family scheme, Ukraine Extension scheme and Ukraine Permission Extension scheme) will not count towards eligibility for settlement under the long residency route. Find out details in the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules. 

Permission to travel letters will stop being a valid document to enter the UK from 13 February 2025 

If you were issued with a Permission to Travel (PTT) letter but have not yet travelled to the UK, please note that from 13 February 2025 you will no longer be able to use that letter to travel to the UK. This letter was issued initially to allow people to travel to the UK without enrolling their biometric information first. From 7 December 2023 all Ukraine schemes applicants must attend a Visa Application Centre (VAC) to provide their biometrics before travelling. If you were issued with a Permission to Travel letter and still are planning to travel to the UK, you must do so before 13 February 2025. Find out more about the Permission to Travel letter from the GOV.UK page: Move to the UK if you’re coming from Ukraine. Before travelling, make sure to contact your sponsor or UK-based family member to ensure they have suitable accommodation in place for your arrival.  

If you miss the 13 February 2025 deadline, you can apply for the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme instead.  

If you are affected by any of the changes to the schemes we advise to seek urgent legal advice about you and your family’s own personal circumstances. 

See the Scottish Government website for information on getting to Scotland:

• Ukrainian: Приїзд до Шотландії 
• Russian: Как приехать в Шотландию 
• English: Getting to Scotland 

The UK government has also provided information on what to do before travelling to the UK and what to do when you arrive: Move to the UK if you're coming from Ukraine.

If you are already in the UK and want to change or switch your visa, check UK government information on Ukrainian nationals in the UK: visa support.

If you want to claim asylum in Scotland as a Ukrainian (or another nationality affected by the conflict, such as Russian or Belarusian) get legal advice from a qualified legal representative. They will advise you on all your options.